Where Did Jesus Die? — Page 219
Appendix to Sixth Edition 219 or more—due to release of pituitary hormone, part of the reflex response. If the subject is kept upright: (a) blood pressure may sponta- neously return above fainting-level; (b) the subject may recover momentarily and faint again, perhaps repeatedly; (c) he may con- tinue in the faint, with progressively falling blood pressure, but still with a survival chance; or he may die instantaneously because the heart stopped beating at the onset and did not resume. In fatal cases, however, death is usually due to brain damage from lack of oxygen, and may come in two or three minutes, or be delayed even for weeks. Recovery Depending on the blood pressure level and the length of time he is kept upright, the survivor may suffer stupor or coma, with recov- ery after a few hours or days, various degrees of permanent intel- lectual impairment, or profound dementia and delayed death. Such cases are not uncommon in medicine. Some years ago, investigation was made by the writer into certain accidents which occurred in dentistry and discovered that patients, under light anaesthesia with nitrous-oxide, might develop a fainting attack. [Dr. Bourne published this research in his book ‘Nitrous Oxide in Dentistry’. ] Under a general anaes- thetic, this was unnoticed until, quite suddenly, the patient devel- oped all the appearances of being dead. At that time the impor- tance of getting the patient flat was not understood, and when eventually lifted from the chair to the floor, he would lie pallid